I want to be as productive as possible when writing my story. We are both in the same boat.
Finding the time or motivation to write can be hard enough when you are in charge of every little aspect of your novel.
With tasks pulling you in different directions, it is difficult to know what you should be doing to produce your best work.
Do you want some writing tool to depend on? Make the process a little easier?
Here are 16 tools that are built to save your time, which will become the foundations of you as a productive writer.
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Table of Contents
Writing software:
1 Grammarly
Personally, I do not write anything without Grammarly. Why do you ask? It will help you find:
- Grammatical mistakes
- Spelling errors
- Scores your writing on how easy it is to understand
- Scores how interesting and effective your writing is
- Helps you make the right impression on the reader
- Tense consistency
- Plagiarism checker
Oh, let’s not forget you can set goals.
Enabling you to write a piece in the tone you want, without a paid editor!
With this, you have different options for utilising Grammarly:
Option 1
Use the chrome extension to have writing suggestions almost everywhere you write on chrome, this includes other writing sites from Google Doc’s to WordPress. It acts as an overlay onto most sites so, how do you know if it working on the site you are using? A little green circle with a curved arrow inside OR a red circle with numbers (the number of suggestions it has for your writing) indicates Grammarly is ready to help.
Option 2
You are able to copy and paste or ‘import’ documents you have already written your piece on. With all the suggestions to perfect the tone you want to convey to your readers, it is always great to move your piece over to Grammarly. In a lot of cases, it is not available on what you have originally written on, for example, Mircosoft Word.
Option 3
Writing directly on Grammarly. Skip the hassle of bringing your work over to Grammarly, and use the app to its fullest by writing your piece on its site.
That is a lot of functions for free to help you save time as a writer.
Check out Grammarly here.
2 Google Docs
With a Google account, you are able to use this software to write, edit and save your work with autosaves. Ensuring you’ll avoid losing your writing, no matter how many internet issues you may have or exiting without clicking the save button.
With every basic tool you will need to write that book, here are some extras:
- Suggestion
You can find this in the drop-down box I have opened above, once choosing this option anything you write will be blue and is taking as a suggestion editing. Have someone you would like to review your story? Want to put on an editors hat and read your story from a readers point of view?
- Add-ons
Google has a big association to add-ons on their browser chrome, you can do the same for Google Doc’s. Want to highlight? Translate? Add diagrams? Convert into a form? There are many add-ons to choose from to present your story just like you imagined.
- Share
When writing, there always comes a time when you need another person’s input to see what you are missing, gain opinions or co-write with an individual. Choose a person from your email list or send them a link to collaborate on your piece.
Check out Google Doc here.
3 Pro Writing Aid
This is less well-known writing software. In a lot of ways, it is similar to Grammarly.
However, they advertise you will become a better writer after using this.
What do they do differently? They include tools that:
- Check for repeated words/phrases in close proximity
- Overused words
- Compares your use of different sentences to published pieces in your genre
- Check your writing for style improvement
- Find cliches and redundancies
- Search for words that will slow down your reader
- Checks for vague words
- Creating a sensory experience for the reader
Now, this sounds more like a tool specifically for writers because of how detail orientated it is. Seems to live up to the headline ‘writing mentor’.
Not only does it show you if what you’ve written is correct in terms of readability but making you edit thinking about using X too much or alter Y for more original story.
Saying this, the checkers only work for your first 500 words when using the free version. That is not much of a problem if you are writing something short. On the other hand, when writing a 30,000 word+ novel it is a bit trickier.
Dividing your book up into 500-word sections could be an alternative. Is it worth it to you? To get this high level of editing for FREE, feels like a good compromise.
Moreover, they offer a unique combination of suggestions, articles, videos, and quizzes that make writing fun and interactive.
Check out ProWriting Aid here. Click ‘use app’ to use the free version.
Planning/Organizing
Those who plan, do. If you know what to do and when you can do it, the pain of writing lessens. The stress that has build up dissipates.
Keep all your ideas in one place so you don’t waste time.
4 Onenote
Do you have a lot of ideas and need a place to collect them all. Somewhere you can categorise what notes are for what part of your story?
This can also be used as a place to plan, idea dump, store and or write your story as you are easily able to section up chapters into scenes. Editing can be less daunting when editing small chunks than pages on Google doc’s, Word etc.
What can Onenote do?
- Create notebooks that store sections and inside sections, you can create pages.
- Checklists boxes and bullet points
- Basic editing tools
- Colour code notes
- Highlight
- Insert tables, forms
- Meeting notes
- Draw, which is important because not all ideas come to us in words
- Share
- Backed up to Onedrive
Furthermore, you can choose whether you’d like a light or dark theme and even change the colour of the page background. It is a wonderful option that we do not always get to have. Especially when you are working at night and the white background is blinding.
5 Evernote
One of the more popular note-taking apps. Offering the same basic functions of OneNote, but that’s not the main reason you would get Evernote.
What makes it different is web-clipping. Instead of making notes from scratch, Evernote offers you the ability to grab information or printscreen.
By getting the chrome extension you are able to quickly save a clip. There are different ways it is able to grab information:
- Simplify articles
- Highlight full article
- Screenshot
- Bookmark
These can then be saved into your notebooks. Making a really easy way of putting all your inspiration for your book in one place. No more looking for all those pictures, facts and more.
Check out Evernote here.
6 Zoho Notes
Want something simplistic and quick to use when you gain some inspiration?
Zoho notes are for those who think each note should be separate and focus on a singular idea.
Cards include:
- Text
- Checklist
- Audio
- Photo
- Sketch
- File
These cards can then be grouped together in a notebook. Keeping similar ideas in one place.
Check out Zoho notes.
7 Backup
It’s vital that we keep our creations backed up because anything can happen. So you’ve used Grammarly but accidentally deleted a large section and only realize when you worked on it next.
A sinking feeling comes… And goes. You’ve already backed up your story. That’s the feeling you want.
Whether it is a manual or auto-sync, you need to be ready for anything.
There are many options:
No need to become frustrated and waste time rewriting your story!
Naming
One of the most important eye-catching elements to your book is its title. It is hard to think of an amazing name people will be intrigued enough to take a closer look.
This can also take a large amount of time to come up with the perfect name you think most suits your story AND bring in readers.
Let’s get a little help with that.
8 Reedsy Book Title Generator
Simply choose one of the genes and click ‘generate title’ for the image on the left to change to a potential book name.
Furthermore, depending on the genre you have chosen, when you scroll down there are articles you can read to create more options for your title.
Great for coming up with ideas that you want your book title to concentrate on.
9 Name Generator
Want to get 10 book titles based off two words you want to include on your cover?
Select which genre you have or will write in, and get theme-based titles!
A Better option when you have more of an idea of what your book title should be based around and solidifying your choice.
10 Book Title Creator
Do you have a finished or thoroughly planned book? If you know a lot of details, use this site to list keywords that your book is based upon.
You will then be emailed your novel titles which is related to the core of your story!
Book cover
Argued to be the deciding factor to create interest in picking up your book, the book cover is something that needs to be carefully decided.
Here are some free resources to find ideas and use templates.
11 Poster My Wall
Obtain and edit free templates based on your book genre.
Click ‘create book cover’ to get started. Pick which genre your story is about and scroll through the thousands of options. Search keywords to find covers better suited to the image in your head.
Even if you do not see one you would like to use, this is a great starting point to plan what aspects you do and do not want as the cover.
12 Canva
The site is a catch-all site when it comes to making advertising using images. It is a favourite for a lot of people. From planners, logos, posters, infographics and more.
Canva can also be used to create book covers.
Input any image you want to use or find a template to edit yourself!
13 Fotor
Here is a more simplistic version of Canva which focuses solely on book covers.
It has all the basic tools of the previous site.
Advertise
Free time-saving tools you say. Advertising sounds like more work.
No matter where in your writing journey, you are going to have to advertise your book. Think about it this way, if you have a pre-existing fanbase who knows about your upcoming book. You are more likely to get interest and sales on its launch rather than waiting until the novel is finished and ready for release.
When should you build a fanbase? Before it is published, readers want to get to know authors. A great way of getting interest in your story is building a relationship with your potential readers. If they like you as a person, your writing style and your work, they will be waiting in anticipation when you announce there a book release.
how can you get a fanbase if you haven’t written anything? The book does not exist or is in progress.
14 WordPress
Not a free tool if you want others to be able to read your blog but can be very cheap. £3.02 a month to be exact by using Bluehost as your host.
Get paid for sponsored posts and more to help with funding your book AND you own everything on your site.
From the email list which is important to grow trust between you and the reader for them to eventually be invested in your book, but also, products or articles you produced.
15 Medium
This site strives for original ideas and thoughts in the forms of articles. Build a following by telling them:
- About yourself
- Your journey,
- Writing method
- Writing Tips
- Struggles and overcoming
- Unquie views
Join the partner program to get paid for the traction your articles bring. There are many benefits to writing on this site.
Unfortunately, you do not own the articles as they are posted on medium and not a site you have paid for.
16 Other Social Media
- Youtube
- Twitch
How did you find using these tools? Let me know what you thoughts in the comments. Until then